Spacing device



June 14, 1960 D. A; BARG SPACING DEVICE Filed Sept. 27, 1955 INVENTOR. DORA A. BARG PAR KER 8- CARTER ATTO RNEYS United States Patent SPACING DEVICE Dora A. Barg, 4573 N. 30th St., Milwaukee, Wis.

Filed Sept. 27, 1955, Ser. No. 537,019

4 Claims. (Cl. 24-81) My invention relates to spacers and more particularly to spacing devices employed when transporting or storing hand painted pictures or the like, produced on framed canvas or board.

It is manifest to anyone familiar with artistic reproductions, that quite frequently the work is done at a site, such as an open field or street, where the artist has access to the subject matter being reproduced, after which the freshly done work must be conveyed to the artists studio, possibly for touching up or completing details. In any event, it is necessary to protect the freshly coated surface of art work while it is particularly liable to be damaged.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a device that will enable the artist to protect the freshly applied surface coating while transporting or storing one or a plurality of work units.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical and efficient device for spacing such paintings or illustrations apart, with their freshly applied surfaces in opposite relation to, and facing one another for their protection.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described, that may be easily applied and removed, with the resilient members arranged to accommodate pictures and boards of varied thicknesses.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described which requires a minimum amount of contact with the freshly applied coating.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device that may be applied to any portion of the outer margin of the painting or the like, thereby permitting any number of units to be employed for the proper support and protection.

The device is simple in construction, easy and economical to manufacture, yet highly efficient for the purpose for which it is intended.

Other and further objects of my invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds, when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device constructed in accordance with my invention, in which the spacer member is in the form of a block.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the construction .shown in Figs. 1 and 2, applied to the marginal edges of two paintings.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of device constructed entirely of wire.

Figure 5 is a side view of the device as shown in Fig. 4.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the device shown in Figures 4 and 5, applied to the marginal edges of two paintings.

Figure 7 is an end view of the device constructed of wire as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, showing the paintings in dotted lines, and

Patented June 14, 1960 Figure 8 is a side view of a modified form of spacing device constructed of wire, in which the spacing portion is circular, and showing the paintings in dotted lines to illustrate the manner of'their support.

Figure 9 is a side view of a modified form of device somewhat similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, showing the paintings in dotted lines.

Referring now to the same details of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the character 10 indicates 'a spacer block which may be constructed of wood, plastic, or any other material. It is provided with a plurality of relatively sharp points as projections on its opposed outer faces. These projections may be ar ranged in any convenient manner, and may be of any suitable shape and arrangement to hold the adjacent coated surfaces 12 of pictures 13 by friction with minimum surface contact while reducing the likelihood of slipping on the coated surface so as to smear the latter.

The spacer block 10 is held in engagement with the pictures by resilient clamp members 14, preferably made of 'wire which yieldingly clamp the outer faces of the picture frames or boards 13 along the edges of the latter, as seen in Figure 3.

The wire clamp members 14 are preferably formed by first bending a length of wire into an elongated U- shaped loop with closed lower ends 14a andthen bending the opposite terminal ends 16, 16 at right rangles to the closed ends, into spaced, substantially parallel relation to the latter. The terminal ends 16 are then inserted in the block 10 (see Fig. 2). The free ends of clamp members 14 may be bent inward or outward as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, if desired, or may be arched inwardly as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, to accommodate the clamp member to diiferent thicknesses of pictures 13.

When the spacer block 10 is constructed of plastic or other molded material, the imbedded ends 16 of the wire clamping ends may be crimped as shown at 17 in Fig. 9, to prevent their becoming disengaged from said block.

Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 show a modified form of spacer 18 constructed entirely of wire, formed in two similar vertically disposed squared loops formed integrally with the U-shaped resilient clamp members 14. This spacer device 18 is provided with outwardly extending projections or points 19 integrally formed therewith as by crimping the wires. The spacer 18 functions in the same manner as the spacer block 10 and is shown as a modification for economy and ease in construction. The clamping members 14 and projections 19 also cooperate in like manner to provide a minimum contact with the freshly coated surfaces 12 of the paintings or the like.

Fig. 8 shows another form of wire spacer 2% similar to the spacer 18 excepting that it is circular in shape and has only one set of projections 19a similar to the projections 19 on the spacer 18. The circular spacer 29 has the same function as the spacers 10 and 18.

From the above description it is manifest that a plurality of the devices constructed in accordance with the invention may be inserted at different places along and over the marginal edges of two opposed edges of framed canvases or boards, or over the edges or" one newly painted canvas or board, and an opposed protecting board of the same size, so as to provide an efficient means of protecting the freshly prepared surface or surfaces. Obviously as many devices as practical may be employed, spaced on opposite edges or on all four edges of the painting or paintings.

Although I have shown and described certain embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and"s'eope' of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A spacingv device of the character described, made of a es e, l n of e li t e t fl il parallel loops spaced laterally from-each other ,to'form a' spacing member, each of said loops hailing the top portions thereof crossed over oneranother' and extending outwardly from thetops of the loops and then bent downwardly so as to'coop'erate withtheside' portions oi said loops in wdefining spaced resilient clamping members with the downwardly. bent portions and the side portions of the loops yield able withrelation to one another so as to clampedly hold spaced articles between thesides of the loops and the downwardly-bent portions. c

2. The structure .of claim 1 characterized by and including projections on opposite sides of the loops.

3. The structure of claim '1 wherein the loops are generally circular in shape.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the loops are "generally rectangular inshape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 716,961 Tillman Dec. 30, 1902 781,930 Barnes Feb. 7, 1905 1,446,362 Vogel -2 Feb. 20, 1923 1,661,165 Cameron Mar. 6, 1928 1,683,049 -Penley Sept. 4,1928 1,754,093, Getz Apr. 8, 1930 2,209,697 -Kislingbufy --July 30, 1940 2,299,490 Newman V Oct. 20, 1942 2,457,736 Schmidt Dec. 28, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Sept. 28, 1922 

